In early February, war had again broken out in Sulu.  The Mindanao Peaceweavers  thus sent a Peace and Solidarity Mission team last March 27-31, 2005 to understand the armed conflict in this embattled archipelago.

Most of the Peaceweavers who went to Sulu were already working in the areas of peace building, conflict studies and peace processes in Mindanao. But the Sulu conflict presented a unique situation. The Peaceweavers thus hoped to get a vantage view of the long-running conflict and hopefully contribute towards its eventual resolution. 

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"The Peace Zones Policy Act of 2000."

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(A briefing paper by the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute, Philippines, for the “International Consultation on Religious Building Peace” convened by International Alert on  5-6 October 2004 in London)

The thirty-five years of the Bangsamoro secessionist struggle in the Philippines  may be viewed as the current  phase of more than three centuries of resistance by the Muslim peoples against colonization.  It has persisted in an age of globalization with the complicating factors of  international terrorist networks and  a global war against terror.  Yet very basic needs and fundamental beliefs are at the root of  the conflict.  It is within such a context that religious leaders in Mindanao are taking a key role to transform the conflict and build a positive peace.  

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Executive Order No. 115: Providing For The Mechanics And Operational Structure For The Localization Of Peace Efforts